At the Strike of Twelve
by DJ Lee
Summary: Derek Venturi hates that he can't sleep at night. Dasey.


**Disclaimer:** Life with Derek is copyright Shaftesbury, Disney Channel, Family Channel, and Nickelodeon. This story was created for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended. It will be removed immediately and without question upon request.

**At the Strike of Twelve**

He was rather confused why he was doing this again, for the twenty-seventh night in a row, not that he was counting or anythin

He was rather confused why he was doing this again, for the twenty-seventh night in a row; not that he was counting or anything. He had been lying in bed for a good hour an a half, irritated that sleep would not come to him, no matter how much he desperately wished for it. This had been happening for weeks now and he was growing weary of lying awake in bed at night for hours on end; which was the exact reason why he chose that moment to throw off his blankets and sit up.

The clock read 11:53 PM. He grumbled to himself. Why did this happen every night at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder. Derek groaned to himself and forced himself to cross the dark room and opened the door slightly, poking his head out to check for anyone in the halls. Once satisfied that the coast was clear, he crept out into the hall and crossed the short distance to the next door.

It was slightly ajar like it always was and he couldn't help but wonder why she never fully closed her door. As far as he knew, everyone in the house, including Marti had slept with their doors closed. He shook his head clear of those thoughts and reached out to push the door open slightly but then stopped halfway. Did he really have to do this? How many times had he been doing this now? He was afraid of the answer, though he knew very well how many times it had been. Every night he would lie awake at night and curse his insomnia. Then he would end up exactly where he was now, hovering outside her door, debating whether or not he should enter.

He nibbled on his bottom lip thoughtfully, a habit he had inadvertently picked up from Casey. He knew that he would not be able to sleep until he did so, but he felt so awkward doing it as well. He was afraid that one night she would wake up and freak at his mere presence. He shivered at the thought and what everyone would think of the situation. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, he made up his mind. Carefully, he placed his hand against the door and pushed slowly, afraid of any creaks the hinges would make to blow his cover. When there was enough room for him to fit through the crack, he slipped into the room, welcoming the warmth that washed over him compared to the draft in the hall.

Although the room was dark, he was able to clearly make out any obstacles that stood in his path. His night vision had improved since he started these little endeavors and he felt sick to the stomach just thinking about what he was going to do. It was nothing bad really; he was no pervert, after all. Okay, maybe that one was a bit of a stretch. He did admit to being a skirt chasing cad, but that didn't mean he did anything more than make-out with a girl. He drew the line at kissing and he couldn't help but think that he would've gone further if he hadn't developed a conscience that decided to appear around the same time the MacDonalds moved in. He sighed to himself; she had no idea how she affected and changed him, not that he'd ever tell her.

It was late, that much he knew from the moonlight spilling through the windows. How late, he wasn't quite sure. All he knew was that it was around midnight. He knew that it was now or never since he was still only a couple steps away from the door. Gathering his courage, he strolled across the room, avoiding her backpack and the occasional item left randomly on the floor and came to a stop at in front of her bed. He had done this so much that it had become second nature to him, much to his chagrin. He knelt down by her bed and placed his folded arms on the edge of the bed before resting his head on top of them. She was facing his direction, something that he was thankful for, for if he needed to make a quick escape he wouldn't need to run around her bed just to get to the door.

She looked very peaceful and content as she slept. Her eyebrows weren't furrowed in annoyance, a look he had grown accustomed to the past two and a half years she had lived with him. Her cheeks weren't flushed in anger and her face looked serene. Although he would've loved to gaze into her eyes when she wasn't glaring at him, he was content with just watching her sleep. He couldn't help but smile at this. He had to admit that she was certainly rude and harsh to him, but with good reason. He knew that he was an annoyance but he couldn't help but be one. When he had first met her he knew that she was beautiful but had cast the thought aside when he found out that she held a particular dislike of him. Then when he had found out that she was a keener and fought for some freedom and control of the house, something that he'd always had, he knew that he couldn't allow her such a thing. But now, after living with her with past couple of years, he had grown quite used to her presence and she had stopped fighting for control of anything in the house, except the television remote, he noted wryly. The present her had blossomed and became popular in her own right, as a cheerleader of John Sparrow Thompson High and resident bookworm—though he was still puzzled how the student body looked past her grade grubbing reputation and accepted her for the way she was. She was still a drama queen when it came to things, but like the rest of the family, he had grown so used to it that it no longer affected him anymore.

So what was he doing in the middle of her room in the middle of the night watching her sleep? He had no idea; all he knew was that he would not be able to sleep at all unless he had at least caught a glimpse of her sleeping face. Sometimes he could watch her for hours on end until the sun peaked over the horizon and flooded the room with bright daylight. Usually those were weekends where he knew that she would sleep in and he didn't need to fear her biological clock waking her at the crack of dawn. That explained why he normally didn't wake up before noon, though everyone in the family had just assumed that he was just plain lazy.

He knew that he was smiling like an idiot at that point, but he also knew that there was nothing he could do to wipe it off his face. He had tried many times before but had failed miserably. But as she stirred slightly, he felt his heart speed up for fear that she would open her eyes. Luckily for him, she had remained asleep, blissfully unaware of his presence. He let out a quiet breath of relief but made no move to leave.

It must have been at least one in the morning now, but he wasn't tired at all. If anything, he felt more energized than before, as awkward as it may sound. He released a sigh. It was official; he had gone crazy, all because he wanted to, no, needed to watch her sleep every night or else he'd lie away the whole night. This was enough for tonight, he told himself as he forced his body to leave her bedside. He closed the door behind him as left, leaving it slightly ajar just as she had left it.

He felt a bit like a stalker and a creep for what he did, but it wasn't like he was actually stalking her. He was just watching her as she slept, with a goofy smile plastered across his face. Okay, that didn't make things sound any better. But there was nothing he could do about it. Derek sighed, running a hand through his bed tousled hair. Moments later, he finally felt sleep claim him.

* * *

It was always awkward facing her the next morning, so he chose to remain in bed longer, allowing her the opportunity to use the bathroom first. Normally he would've kicked her out and claimed it all to himself, but ever since he started his nightly escapades, he knew that he would not be able to resist staring at her sleepy face as she headed toward the bathroom. So as a precaution, Derek pretended to remain asleep until she stepped out so he could then take his turn, shoving both Edwin and Lizzie to the back of the line.

Breakfast was quiet, something he was still not quite accustomed to, especially the lack of noise their family usually brought with them early in the morning. He supposed that he better start getting used to it now seeing as he and Casey had lessened their fights and arguments tremendously so that it became rare that they were every fully angry with each other. That had started half a year ago when she had finally exploded and told him how she hated always fighting with him. He had felt a bit guilty for starting most of the fights and so he had agreed to try to be civil to her. He had to say, they had gotten along much better after that, something he never thought that he'd come to like.

"Hey," she greeted softly as she pulled up a stool beside him.

He had to clear his throat a bit before returning his own greeting, "Hey."

Like the silence, the civility between the two of them was still rather new to him even though they had been this way for the past six months. He guessed that after two years of glaring and avoiding each other had made it second nature for him to automatically spout out an insult. He had to admit that he was getting better at this, his civil greetings and attitude overcoming his instinct to insult.

George and Nora smiled at each other, happy that today was another peaceful in the MacDonald-Venturi household.

"Hey Dad, are you coming to my game this Friday?" asked Derek as he poured himself a bowl of cereal, much to Edwin's surprise before he and Lizzie left for school.

The older Venturi sighed, shaking his head sadly. "I wish I could, Derek, but this new case has me all tied up until at least next Wednesday."

Derek's shoulders slumped in disappointment. His father had always gone to his games, ever since he took up the sport. It was not often when he would have to miss one of Derek's games, but the rest of the family always went to support him instead, even Casey, though she didn't attend every game. He had a feeling that she only went when she was forced to go.

"Maybe Casey would like to go?" George suggested as he sipped on his coffee.

Derek didn't know what to say. Would she want to go? He couldn't help but wonder. She had not gone to the last few games he had played. He was rather sure that she'd decline the offer and go to the mall with Emily instead, seeing as they always hung out on Fridays. He was rather surprised when she agreed.

"Sure," she said with a smile that made Derek's stomach twist in knots. "I'll tell Emily when I see her. She might want to go too."

He had briefly forgotten to breathe but after she had stared at him long enough to warrant some worry, he had snapped to his senses and thanked her, his cheeks warming, much to his chagrin and confusion. He had hoped that she hadn't caught that and was relieved to see that she had turned back to eating her breakfast. She had finished her breakfast rather quickly and told him that she was heading out first. He hadn't realized that he was watching her until his father cleared his throat. Derek tore his gaze away from her retreating form and blushed, something he didn't know he was capable of doing. When he dared look at his father again, he was met with a knowing grin.

"Why are you looking at me that way?" he asked, somewhat afraid of the answer his father was to give him.

George continued to grin. "So, when did this happen?"

Derek looked shocked, his eyes as wide as saucers. "I don't know what you're talking about," he spouted out, quickly turning his attention back to his cereal which was nowhere near done.

George merely chuckled at his son's obvious denial. "Aw, come on, Derek. You know what I'm talking about." When Derek remained silent, rushing to finish off his cereal, George continued, "Your crush on Casey is so obvious."

Derek choked on the cereal, coughed out what he could, and shot his father another shocked look.

"Nora and I had suspected this weeks ago," said George with an amused smile.

Derek shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "So… you're not…mad?" He wasn't even sure if what he was feeling toward Casey was even considered a crush, but he figured that he might as well ask this question in case it ended up being one.

"It took a little time getting used to but we think that it is absolutely adorable. Who knew that our kids whom we thought would one day kill each other, would end up developing crushes on each other?" answered George, the amused smile never leaving his face.

Casey having a crush on him? Him having a crush on her? He wasn't sure what to think of that or if that was the truth at all. Derek continued to shift uncomfortably in his chair, finishing off the last of his breakfast in one big gulp before jumping off the stool and telling his father that he was off to school.

* * *

"Dude, she's not going to disappear."

Derek snapped out of his daze and turned to his friend who was currently sporting an amused smile. "What are you talking about?"

Sam shook his head and sighed, the smile still remaining on his face. He picked up a French fry and stuck it in his mouth. "You've been staring at her constantly for the past few weeks."

"Who?" he couldn't help but ask. He wasn't being that obvious was he?

"Casey," Sam answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Derek scoffed. "No, I wasn't."

"Yeah, you were," Ralph chipped in, the dorky smile on his face. "You stare at her every class period and when you see her in the halls and now at lunch."

"You even stare at her when you're home if that's anything to go by whenever we drop by for a visit," added Sam.

He was sure his mouth was hanging wide open at this point. He wasn't sure what to make of what Ralph had just said. He wasn't _that_ obvious was he? Besides, he didn't have a crush on Casey. Nope, not one bit.

"He speaks the truth, man." Sam calmly ate his lunch while Derek could only gape at his two friends, speechless.

"I'm surprised that you didn't develop your crush sooner, D," Sam said with a grin. "Casey is very pretty and smart. Why do you think I liked her when we first met?"

Ralph nodded his head eagerly in agreement.

"N-no way," was all he managed to get out once he found his voice again. "I can't… I _don't_ have a crush on Casey," he hissed, not wanting anyone nearby to hear him. Sam and Ralph merely shook their heads at him, amused about their friend's constant denial.

"I _don't_!" Then as if to make a point, he turned around to look at her. She had coincidentally spotted him as well when she was looking up and caught his eye. She had smiled and waved at him. He felt as if his legs were suddenly made of jell-o, something he had never felt before, and was suddenly glad that he was sitting down. Grimacing for a split-second at his reaction, he plastered a smile on his face and returned the wave.

When he turned his gaze back to his friends, they were grinning at him. It was then that he realized what had transpired; he really did have a crush on Casey MacDonald. How could had he been so obvious yet oblivious about his crush at the same time? All he could do was groan and bang his head against the table repeatedly, much to the amusement of his friends.

* * *

"He was staring at you again," Emily pointed out before she took a bite of her sandwich.

Casey shook her head. "No, he wasn't. It was a coincidence that he was just looking in this direction."

Emily scoffed, "Yeah, I'm sure that Derek looking in this direction, at your face to be exact, for the last ten minutes is all just a coincidence."

Casey shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I'm sure it was… you're not making this up are you, Em?"

Emily rolled her eyes at her friend's obliviousness. "Of course not, Casey. Why would I make something like this up?"

Casey shrugged, unsure of what to say.

"Speaking of staring," Sheldon cut in, "you've been staring at Derek quite a look the past few weeks. I've seen you staring at him when you thought he wasn't looking."

"I have not!" Casey instantly defended, her cheeks reddening.

Both Sheldon and Emily let out amused grins at Casey's suddenly flushed face. "You have a crush on Derek," was all Emily offered as she placed a comforting hand on Casey's.

Casey didn't know what to say or what to do. Had she really been staring at Derek like some lovesick schoolgirl? Did she really have a crush on him? Sure they had gotten along a lot better than they ever had. The day she had told him about how she hated fighting with him was the day she started enjoying his company more than ever. He actually made an effort to be civil with her and most of the time nowadays he was very nice to her. She had thought that it had all been a dream but since it had persisted for the past six months she knew that she was definitely awake.

She knew that she found herself staring at him a couple of times, but she had thought that it had only been a couple of times, not everyday, every chance she got. She had to admit that Derek was cute; anyone with eyes could assent to that, so she found it very normal for her gaze to linger on him occasionally. When they had first met for the first time all those years ago she had thought he was cute, until he had opened his mouth and allowed his ego to rear its ugly head. She had been quite disheartened that such a cute boy had ended up being another egocentric jerk and player. She had never thought that she'd live to see the day that Derek showed his soft side, but he apparently showed it quite often around his family, though he covered it up with his cocky attitude. Now that she thought of it, he seemed to show his soft side to her quite frequently, something that she was pleased for. Derek was really a sweet boy who liked girls, like any other teenage boy, and was not the player that he made himself out to be. He just had a big ego and liked to annoy her for some reason she never really understood. He never dated more than one girl at a time, though he had come dangerously close when he was together with Kendra. He treated his dates very well and he had done so many sweet things for both her and their family that she couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"Should we take that smile as a good thing?" asked Emily with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile.

She continued to smile in response. As she looked up in Derek's direction, she found him staring at her. So, Casey brought up a hand to wave and smiled at him. He returned the gesture and gave her a smile of his own before turning back to his friends. She felt warm all over. Did she have a crush on Derek Venturi? She knew that she'd be lying if she said no, and she was fine with that.

* * *

Dinner was awkward; at least that was how it felt to Derek. Now that his father and stepmother knew of his crush it was enough to send him running to his room to hide. He sucked it up by basically avoiding eye contact with Casey and the parents the whole meal and was surprised that it appeared as she too was avoiding looking at him. After quickly finishing off his dinner and being excused, he made his way to his room.

He had sitting on his bed in this exact position for the past three hours. Edwin had come in asking him what was wrong but he had managed to shoo him off, claiming to tell him all about it later. Edwin had reluctantly left, pointing a finger at him, reminding him that he will find out eventually even if Derek decided to keep his mouth shut. Derek rolled his eyes and leaned back against his headboard.

His thoughts for the past three hours had been consumed by Casey and his conversation with Sam and Ralph earlier that day. He had barely accepted that what he was feeling for Casey was a crush and he reluctant to figure out when it had started. He supposed that it could have started twenty-eight days ago, that night that had started his nightly escapades.

That night he and Casey were left alone at home while the rest of the family went out to watch a movie and eat ice cream. He and Casey had begged to stay home, since it was a kid's movie and they didn't want to see it. His father and Nora were reluctant at first since it was supposed to be a family outing, but after begging for half an hour straight, they had given in. His father and Nora didn't bother asking for a babysitter or for Emily to come over since he and Casey had been getting along so well the past few months.

He and Casey had decided to take it easy and ended up watching a movie on their own. They had ended up watching two and fell sleep sometime between, because the next thing he knew, the entire house was dark and the television was off. It was four in the morning from what he could tell on the blinking VCR. He was about to move to go to his own bed but had then realized that there was weight on his right shoulder and his arm. When he looked down, he realized that he had an arm wrapped around Casey's waist and her head was resting against his. He couldn't remember how it had gotten there and when he had fallen asleep. He wanted to move but didn't have the heart to wake her up and he knew that any slight movement at the point was bound to wake her. So that was how he had found himself watching her sleep for the next two hours, a small smile on his lips, until he had drifted off back to sleep. When he woke up the next morning, or rather, a few hours later, he had been surprised to find that he was alone on the couch and his neck was slightly sore from sleeping sitting up.

Ever since then when he had tried to go to sleep at night, he had a hard time sleeping. He would lie in his bed for hours on end. The first night was sure that he would be getting no sleep that night, but since he had to use the bathroom, he had stumbled out of bed. When he was returning to his room, he had somehow found his gaze landing on Casey's door. He had never paid much attention to her or her bedroom door in the past so he had wondered why he had that time. When he approached the door, he was surprised to find it slightly ajar. Being the naturally curious soul that he was, he poked his head into the room and found himself transfixed with her sleeping face once again. He didn't know what happened next, but as he stared at her from her doorway for the next few minutes, he knew that something was wrong with him. He had never done such a thing before, watching someone as he or she slept. It was unheard of. But there he was, watching as Casey slept. He had reluctantly pulled himself away from her door and snuggled under the covers back in his own bed. The next thing he knew, he had fallen asleep.

The cycle had repeated itself for the following nights after. He had been scared out of his mind but found comfort knowing that he was skilled at being sneaky and that he would be able to run away if she ever woke up. Derek somewhat doubted that that had been when his crush started since he sort of remembered staring at her and feeling weird around her before then. That night was when he had started staring at her more often. The harder he thought, the more he had a feeling that it might have been shortly after they called a truce and he had started being civil to her. He laughed to himself, wondering when he had turned into a lovesick puppy. He had never felt that way when he was with Kendra, Sally, or any other girl. The most he associated his feelings with were extreme liking, but they were nothing compared to what he felt now. His mouth felt dry most times, his words never came out clear and always in a stutter, his stomach twisted up in knots and his face felt incredibly warm. Oh yes, he had it bad. He had none of those side effects with the other girls, except for the stuttering problem around Kendra, but that was short lived. He still had yet to get over his stuttering problem around Casey.

Derek literally turned to mush at the mere sight and thought of Casey, but that was something he found himself not minding quite as much.

When he tried to sleep for the third time that night, he knew it was useless. He knew that from that point on, he would never be able to get any sleep if he did not see Casey just once. So, at 11:56 PM, Derek threw off his bed covers and made his way next door. He was sure he was only there for about two minutes watching her when the one thing he feared became reality. Before he could process what was happening, he was staring into the pair of blue eyes that he had been wishing to see every time he came over during his nightly escapades. He gulped; this was not going to be pretty.

* * *

It was difficult to concentrate on homework, no matter how hard she tried; her thoughts would always stray back to one certain individual. In the end, she pushed it aside, leaving it for the weekend to finish. It was Friday night and she was actually surprised that Derek had not gone out on a date like he would have normally done. As she thought of him, she couldn't stop the smile that broke out. She had no idea when this started happening, but just the mere thought of him would make her smile and brighten up her day. She was clearly crazy. That was the only explanation that she could come up with. She briefly wondered if her crush was something more than that, but pushed the thought away to ponder over later. She had barely accepted her crush earlier today and thinking about love was something she wasn't too sure about yet.

When exactly had she started liking him? She couldn't help but wonder as she plopped down on her bed, hugging her pillow to her chest. It might have been that night a month ago when they were home alone and had watched a movie together. She remembered that she had fallen asleep and when she woke sometime around six in the morning, she was very comfortable and warm, but yet at the same time, her neck was killing her. She had then realized that she had fallen asleep on the couch with Derek Venturi and he had his arm wrapped around her waist and she had her head resting on his shoulder. She had been a little freaked out at first, her mind foggy, believing that it had been back in the days when they had fought constantly. She didn't move since it was too comfortable, even though her mind was screaming at her to leave, and that gave her time to snap out of her haze and remember when, where, and what had happened. Her cheeks flushed at their current positions; they looked like a couple. She knew that she had to get up some time, but she found herself stalling for time, watching him as he slept. She had never seen him asleep before since they usually fought with each other and had never fallen asleep in the same room together before. She couldn't help but admire how cute he was, even when asleep. She had no time for her thoughts to drift farther for he had started to stir. Alarmed, Casey quickly peeled herself away from him and ran all the way upstairs to her room, afraid of his reaction. She could've pretended to remain asleep, but that would've been too awkward for her, especially since she had no idea how he would react.

It couldn't have been that time since she clearly remembered liking him somewhat, even if just a little at that time. She thought hard for a minute and pinpointed an approximate time for after their little truce. She had seen more of his nicer, caring, and sensitive side after the truce and she liked that Derek more than the one she had to put up with the first day she moved into the house. She sighed to herself, a small smile plastered across her face. She was too obvious; at least that was what her mom and George had said at the dinner table earlier. After Derek had left, Edwin, Lizzie, and Marti had all finished their dinners and scurried to their own respective rooms. She had been left at the table with the two parents, feeling their gaze on her, making her uneasy.

"So… when did you develop a crush on Derek?" her mother pretended to ask casually.

Casey had nearly choked on the piece of orange chicken she was trying to swallow. "W-what?" she managed to say after a few coughs.

Nora had appeared unaffected by her daughter's near death experience from a piece of meat. "When did you develop a crush on Derek, honey?" she repeated.

She could literally feel the blood drain from her face. As embarrassing as the situation was, she didn't know how she could bring herself to answer such a question without feeling like her stomach was about to eat her alive. "I-I don't know that you're talking about." She knew her stammer was unconvincing, but her nerves had decided to leave her and she was having trouble re-gathering them.

Nora let out a small laugh and shook her head. "Oh honey, I can tell when you're lying, remember?"

Casey's face fell when she realized that her mother was right, but she was unwilling to speak. Correction, she was unable to speak. She didn't know what to say at all.

"George and I had suspected that you and Derek have liked each other for a while now," said Nora, pulling Casey's plate away from her, since she hadn't eaten a thing at all since dinner started.

"And before you ask, no, we're not mad," George cut in, a comforting smile on his lips. "Funny, I had this exact conversation with Derek this morning."

Her head snapped up at the mention of Derek, causing both parents to give her questioning looks. She flushed, embarrassed at her reaction. "What did he say?" she asked in a small voice, her gaze focused on the dinner table.

George chuckled. "Not much, but I can tell that he really likes you. Too bad he just ran away from me after that."

"How can you be so sure that he likes me?" her voice was still small, afraid that she had ended up in a one-sided relationship.

"Honey, I know you're a little dense with some things, but I honestly had no idea that you've missed all those longing glances Derek's been giving you. Not only is he a lot nicer to you, but smiles a lot more too," answered Nora. "You know how you mention Derek's always smirking? Well, from what George and I have seen, all Derek has been doing the past few weeks, maybe months, is smile whenever you're around or even mentioned."

She felt her heart swell with happiness at her mother's words, but she didn't want to get her hopes too high in case she was wrong. "Are you sure?" she asked again.

George chuckled, causing her to give him a questioning look. "Young love," he said with another chuckle. "Listen, Casey. Derek is my son and I know him enough to know when he really likes a girl. He's different around you than when he was with Kendra or Sally." He must've noticed her look of disbelief for he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"How can I be so sure that you know Derek that well when you scored below a six for the 'How well do you know your kids' quiz?" questioned Casey.

George rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "You've got a point there… but trust me on this at least. I'm certain that Derek really likes you."

Casey nibbled her bottom lip, lost in thought. "Maybe…" Then as if something had just occurred to her, she turned to her and then to George. "Wait, are you actually supporting, no, encouraging Derek and my possible relationship?"

Both parents let out a small laugh and nodded their heads. "That's exactly what we're trying to do," said George. "Now get up there and see if you can drag a confession out of my stubborn but incredibly dense son."

"Like father, like son," Casey heard her mother comment, earning Nora a playful hurt look from George. Casey wondered for a second if this was a joke or some sort of prank but when nothing had happened, she knew that this was reality, as surreal as it seemed.

So that was how Casey found herself lying in her bed that night, waiting for sleep to claim her. She had debated several times whether or not to go over to Derek's room and to confront him like Lizzie had told her to do, after she had filled her in on everything a little while ago. In the end, she had chickened out and crawled into bed, hoping to talk to him tomorrow when she would be able to gather more of her courage. However, she found it hard to sleep with so much running through her mind.

She sighed to herself, wishing for sleep to claim her so that she could let her overused brain rest for a few hours. She was not so lucky for she had been lying in bed for what felt like hours and she was sure it was midnight by now. She had just about given up and was about to get up to grab a book to read when she heard her door creak open slightly. She froze, unaware of what was happening and what to do. The next thing she knew, she felt someone kneel down by the edge of her bed, dangerously close to her face. Now that she thought about it, she sort of remembered seeing someone leaving her room early in the mornings from time to time. She had thought that it was a dream and had never really given it much thought until now, as the person in front of her continued to stare at her. She was a little creep-ed out about who could be watching her as she slept at this hour, so she opened her eyes. Blue met brown.

She should have known and was amazed at herself for not having her jaw touching the floor from her mouth dropping open.

He had gulped nervously, offering a weak, "Hi."

She could not believe what she saw. Then again, she shouldn't have been too surprised seeing as she had occasionally watched him as he napped on his recliner while watching television. Those times she had been able to tear her gaze away because the house was always full of people and they were distracting enough that she didn't do something stupid.

When she remained silent, he had rubbed the back of his head nervously trying to come up with some sort of excuse for the reason he as there. She had waited for a while but when he too remained quiet, unable to come up with anything, he sighed and bowed his head in embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry… I…I just…sleep…y-you… w-w-watch…." He was stuttering and made no sense whatsoever. Now that she thought about it, he hadn't been speaking all that clearly around her for the past few weeks, though it had probably started a few months ago, sometime after their truce. He seemed to realize that he made no sense so he took in a deep breath and tried again. "I'm sorry. I came because for some reason I can't sleep unless I watch you sleep first."

Both teens were amazed and shocked at what he had just said; amazed because he didn't stutter once and shocked because it was plain shocking.

It was a little creepy, but somewhat sweet in a way. He had liked her enough that he wouldn't be able to sleep unless he saw her first. Her heart had swelled at the thought. "Derek?" she called out.

He gulped nervously but answered nonetheless, "Y-yes, Casey?"

It was now or never, she thought to herself. "Do you like me?"

Her question seemed to have left him speechless for he had gaped at her, mouth fluttering open as if to say something, and then closed the next. He had done it at least eight times before he finally offered a weak, "Yes."

She felt relief wash over her and she hadn't been aware that she was holding her breath until she had released it. With a smile creeping up her face, she said, "Good, because I like you too." She felt the weight lift off her shoulders as she finally got that off her chest.

He couldn't respond for he was still trying to process what she had just said.

Smiling to herself, she bravely leaned forward and pecked him on the lips, watching as his eyes lit up in joy. She had no idea what had come over her but she was not complaining for a smile had broke out on his face. She knew that she couldn't leave him there all night and she was too giddy to sleep so she moved over on her bed to make space for him, patting the empty space beside her.

He climbed in next to her and pulled her against him, hugging her against her chest, loving how perfectly she fitted in his arms.

She loved the feeling of being in his arms and smiled up at him. "You'd better make sure you stay a one-woman man, Venturi. Otherwise there will be a price to pay."

He chuckled at her, pulling her slightly closer to him. "No need to worry about that. I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

George and Nora smiled from the doorway, watching as the two teens slept peacefully through the night. "Looks like we're going to have to give them the talk tomorrow. I told her to drag a confession out of him, not use him as a human pillow."

Nora laughed softly. "Let's give them the talk after lunch so that they can have some time together."

* * *

**A/N: This is actually my first LwD fanfic, so a lot of things may be off, especially characterization. Aside from that, I hope you enjoyed the story nonetheless. This was originally supposed to be a short one-shot, but when I started writing, things started getting a bit carried away and this was born. Heh, depending on people's opinions on this story I might write another one-shot since I already have an idea in mind. **


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